Court sets Aug 4 for Rosmah’s bid to disqualify Sri Ram for second time

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has fixed Aug 4 to hear the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) objection against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s second attempt to disqualify Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram from prosecuting her corruption case involving the RM1.25bil solar hybrid project.

Justice Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid set the date during a case management of the leave for judicial review application on Wednesday.

During the online proceedings, Rosmah’s lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh told the court that they were served with a notice of preliminary objections (PO) by the AGC yesterday afternoon.

“We are caught unawares,” he said, adding that they would need more time to respond to the PO.

According to the PO as affirmed by Senior Federal Counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, the AGC stated that Rosmah’s application should be dismissed as it was “frivolous, vexatious and did not justify further argument on a substantive stage”.

Sri Ram, meanwhile, said he was ready to argue the case.

“My position is that the application (by Rosmah) is an abuse of the court process,” he said.

Justice Ahmad Kamal then fixed Aug 4 to hear submissions from parties over the PO by the AGC.

On June 24, Rosmah filed the judicial review application through Messrs Akberdin & Co at the High Court (Appeal and Special Powers).

She named the Attorney General/Public Prosecutor, the government and Sri Ram as respondents.

Rosmah, 70, had earlier filed a similar application at the Criminal High Court here.

Her application was, however, dismissed by the High Court and her appeal against the court ruling was also rejected by the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court.

In her latest application, Rosmah sought to declare that the appointment of Sri Ram as senior deputy public prosecutor through three letters of appointment (fiat), dated July 8, 2020, May 11 and May 21, 2021, respectively, was unlawful.

She sought to declare that the first version of the fiat signed by Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun on July 8,2020, which should have been signed by the previous Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas on or before Nov 15, 2018 (the date of prosecution against the applicant), was invalid.

Rosmah is charged with soliciting RM187.5mil and two counts of receiving bribes of RM6.5mil from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd’s former managing director Saidi Abang Samsuddin through her former special officer Datuk Rizal Mansor.

It was alleged to be an inducement to help the company (Jepak Holdings) to secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated Project and Maintenance and Operation of Genset/Diesel for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, worth RM1.25bil.

The trial at the High Court has concluded and the verdict is scheduled to be delivered on Sept 1.